Swing



July 17, 1962 c. HANNAS 3,044,774

SWING Filed Feb. 17, 1959 INVENTOR CARLL-HANNAS BY- MY ATTORNEYS.

, 3,044,774 Patented July 1 7, 1962 3,044,774 SWING Carl L. Hannas, St. Paul, Alberta, Canada Filed Feb. 17, 1959, Ser. No. 793,778 1 Claim. (Cl. 272-85) The present invention relates to a swing and is particularly concerned with providing a novel and safe swing structure which may be used by children.

In my United States Patent No. 2,685,915, issued August 10, 1954 I have described a swing structure having a platform which is suspended from a pair of vertical supports and has a seat mounted on either end of the platform. The length of this platform is such that one end thereof may be brought to ground level in order that the passengers riding the swing can'mount on the swing. Since the ends of the platform can reach to the ground when the swing is in motion there is a danger that a small child may be injured underneath the swing when it is in operation. In order to overcome this disadvantage and to make a swing which is safe for children I have developed a new swing in which no part of the swing approaches the ground in such a manner as to injure a small child standing under the swing. In order to accomplish this I have provided a swing having a pair of upwardly extending supporting members, a foot rest suspended from a pivot connected between the pair of supporting members, a pair of arms each pivoted from the pair of supporting members at a point above the pivot for the foot rest, and a pair of seat members each hinged at the upper end to an arm and at the lower end thereof to the foot rest. A further feature of my invention is that I arrange the length of each arm and its associated seat member to be less than the length of the supporting members and thereby prevent the swing from touching the ground on which the swing is erected. A further feature of my invention provides a handle for each passenger on the swing to prevent their accidentally falling from the swing when it is in motion.

According to a further feature of my invention, I provide curved shields of sheet material which are fastended to the lower portions of the moving members of the swing These curved shields provide a substantially continuous curved surface for the lower part of the swing, and a child who accidently came into the path of the moving swing would be contacted by these curved shields in a relatively gentle manner. Since no portion of the swing is close to the ground at any time, the child might be knocked over but would sustain substantially no injury.

A swing constructed in accordance with my invention is perfectly safe for little children and there is no danger of children being hurt by becoming crushed between moving parts of the swing and the ground.

In drawings which illustrate an embodiment of the present invention:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a swing constructed in accordance with the invention, and,

FIGURE 2A is a detailed view showing the pivot connection between the foot rest and the pair of supporting members;

FIGURE 2B is a detailed view showing the hinged connections between the arms and the pair of supporting members;

FIGURE 2C is a detailed view showing the hinged connection between one arm and one seat member; and

'FIGURE 2]) is a detailed view showing the hinged connection between one seat member and the foot rest.

Referring to FIGURE 1,"my swing consists of a base structure formed by the horizontal tubular parts 10 to which a pair of vertically extending supporting members 11 and 12 are attached. These members 11 and 12 are inwardly inclined and joined together at an apex 13. Diagonal braces 14, 15, 16 and 17 are provided to add additional strength to the vertical supporting members 11 and 12. Below the apex 13 a horizontal member 18 is connected between the supporting members 11 and 12. A foot rest structure 19 is suspended by means of the tube 20 and the pivoted connection 21 from the member 18. A pair of curved arms 22 and 23 formed from tubing are hinged at 24 and 25 from the apex 13. To the lower ends of the arms 22 and 23 seat members 26 and 27 are hinged, the lower ends of each said member 26 and 27 being hinged to the foot rest structure 19. Each seat member 26', 27 is provided with a seat back 28, 29, and a horizontal seat 30, 31. A handle 32, 33 extends from the side of seat members 26 and 27 in front of the seat.

In FIGURE 2 the various forms of hinged joints used in the swing are shown in detail. As shown in FIGURE 2A theafoot rest 19 is connected to the tube 20 and is suspended from the member 18 by means of bearings 30 and 31. These bearings 30 and 31 ride on stub shafts 32 and 33 mounted in angle brackets 34 and 35 which are fastened to the member 18 by bolts 36 and 37. Referring to FIGURE 2B, a short horizontal bar 38 mounted at the apex 13 is provided with hinged joints 24 and 25 consisting of a pin 39 extending through a hole in either end of the bar 38 and holes in the ends of the arms 22 and 23. As shown in FIGURE 2C, the arm 22 is hinged to the seat member 26 by a hole in the member 26 which aligns with holes in the split end of the arm 22 through which a pin 40 is passed. The arm 23 is connected to the seat member 27 in a similar manner. The hinged connection between seat members 26 and 27 and the foot rest 19 is shown in FIGURE 2D. This hinged connection once again consists of a pin 42 passing through holes formed in the ends of the cooperating members 26 and 19.

The swing just described which is constructed according to my invention is adaptedjo carry two passengers mounted on the seat members 26iand 27. To operate the swing, the passengers push with their feet against the inclined portions of the foot rest 19. Cooperation between the two passengers results in the swing moving back and forth, the amplitude of the swing action being dependent upon the amount of force applied to the foot rest. My swing will not swing through a complete revolution since the arms 22 and 23 will come into contact with the pivot member 18 before the foot rest 19 reaches an inverted position. It should be noted the length of the arms 22 and 23 plus the length of the seat members 26 and 27 is such that there is always adequate clearance underneath the swing. The curved metal plates on the outside of the seat members 26 and 27 and the foot rest structure 19 provides a relatively smooth surface which would not cause injury should any child walk underneath the swing during its operation. Although the child would be pushed over or struck by the swing this smooth surface wouldprevent any serious injury and as stated before it would be impossible to crush the child under the swing.

What I claim as my invention is:

A swing comprising a. frame, a foot rest suspended from a pivot on said frame, a pair of arms each suspended on said frame from a pivot above said foot rest pivot, and a pair of seat members each hinged at its upper end to an arm and at its lower end to said foot rest, the distance from said arm pivot to any point on said foot rest rest or on said seat members being substantially less than the distance from said arm pivot to the base of said frame, whereby no moving parts of the swing can strike a supporting surface beneath said frame, said foot rest and said seat members each being provided with a curved 4 shield, whereby the lower portion of said swing forms a substantially smooth curved surface of such curvature that on each downward movement of the swing the leading portion of the swing always presents an arcuate surface.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,714,247 Smedley May 21, 1929 2,685,915 Hannas Aug. 10, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,899 Great Britain 1902 

